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6.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Snug in the Jug remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a very specific craving for 1930s comedy shorts that feel like they were put together during a lunch break, then sure, go for it. If you prefer things that actually make sense, stay far, far away. Nobody is going to love this unless they are a completist for this era of cinema.
The plot is a total fever dream. You have two ex-cons who somehow decide the best way to spend their freedom is to help out the warden who used to lock them up. It’s the kind of logic you only find in old-school shorts where everything is played for a quick laugh.
Harry Gribbon is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. Sometimes it works, and other times it just feels like he’s shouting at the scenery. There is a scene where they are trying to put up those posters, and the timing is just... off. It feels like they were filming it and the director just yelled 'good enough' before moving to the next shot.
It definitely lacks the creepy atmosphere of White Zombie, which isn't a fair comparison, I know. But man, even the low-budget charm here is stretched thin. It’s not exactly The Boob, but it occupies that same weird space of 'why was this made?'
The whole bit with the fugitive boss acting as a criminologist is just bizarre. He wears these glasses that keep sliding down his nose, and nobody seems to notice he’s a wanted criminal. It’s the kind of writing that makes you wonder if the script was written on a napkin at a diner.
I found myself zoning out halfway through. The dialogue is just people yelling at each other about posters. It’s loud, it’s frantic, and it doesn't really go anywhere. 🙃
Anyway. It’s a short film, so at least it ends before it becomes truly painful. Just don't go in expecting some hidden masterpiece of the genre. Sometimes a movie is just a movie, you know?